Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his interest in the safety and protection of our democracy. Canada has one of the most comprehensive political financing systems in the world that restricts foreign influence in Canadian elections. International entities cannot give mo

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, as I said today, it is important that all members of the House and all of Canada's political leaders do everything they can to encourage young Canadians to participate in democracy. What is more, we introduced Bill C-33, which will create a register of young Canadian

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, as we in the House all know, Canada is a democracy. In a democracy, we debate ideas. We have different positions and we are quite proud of the fact that here in the House we can debate several points of view with wisdom and respect, in order to encourage everyone to

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me to rise today as the Minister of Democratic Institutions, because it is my job, in fact, as many members in this House know, to improve, to enhance, and to secure our democracy in this country. Our job, as I have said time and time befo

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Democratic Institutions, it is my job to strengthen, enhance, and protect democracy in Canada. I look forward to working with all members of the House. Fundraising will be done in a more open and transparent manner in order to ensure that Canadians

Points of Order  Mr. Speaker, I understand the importance of collegiality and respect for all members of this House, and for that reason, I am happy to withdraw those comments.

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, as I explained to my hon. colleague during the debate this morning, we listened to Canadians, and listening means listening to all points of view. I know that is something the member has trouble understanding, but that is what we did—

Democratic Reform  —and I am looking forward to working on democratic institutions to strengthen, protect, and improve our system.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for sharing his experience with the town hall process. As I mentioned in my speech, I really appreciate all the members who took the time to engage on this issue and, of course, every Canadian who came forward with many different points of v

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague perhaps to clarify what he means about the situation I am in right now. With respect to what I have heard from opposition members on this, I am quite dismayed with the narrative they have been trying to build. I am incredibly proud to

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his compliments on my French. I am always working to improve it, and I must say that I was in French immersion in Burlington. That is Canadian bilingualism. Of course it is important for our government and for all members of the House to be

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is important first to set the record straight. I am in fact the Minister of Democratic Institutions, and that has been the title of this portfolio for the past several years. It is also important to recognize that we took the time to engage with Canadians, and I

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, there are pluses and minuses to any political system. The system that we have right now is one in which Canadians have confidence, in which Canadians believe, and in which Canadians trust. We as a democracy must continually look to improve, to

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise to speak to the motion by the hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie. This is an important debate. Many important affairs of state and issues that matter in the day-to-day lives of Canadians are debated thoughtfully in this chamber, but d

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that is not the road that anyone in this House would go down. It is incumbent upon all of us as Canadians, as leaders, as political leaders in our communities to continue to encourage all Canadians to engage, whether or not they pursue policies tha